The prospective bride of a British jihadist said her fiancé looked “beautiful” after he sent her a photo of him holding AK47s alongside small children, a court has heard.

Hana Khan, 23, allegedly
reacted with “delight” at seeing the images of her
husband-to-be, including a photo of him posing before a black
Islamic State flag.

Khan allegedly sent her fiancé, who cannot legally be identified,
£1,000 to finance his fighting.

She stands accused of funding terrorism alongside Anton Atkins,
31, a charge they both deny.

Khan and Atkins allegedly organized a total of £2,600 in funding,
in addition to buying a pair of combat trousers for the London
jihadist, who is believed to be fighting in Syria.

On June 2, 2013, he sent Khan three photographs of himself posing
with children near Aleppo, the site of heavy fighting between the
Assad government’s forces and rebels.

Prosecutor Chris Hehir told the court: “They are profoundly
disturbing images because a deadly weapon is being put in the
hands of young children who smile as if it is a good thing to
hold an AK-47 or similar weapon.”

“He clearly has very little respect for the innocence of
children,” he added.

On receiving the images, Khan is said to have replied: “You
look beautiful.”

“The prosecution suggest there is nothing beautiful about
what he is doing in these photographs and the fact that Hana Khan
viewed them as beautiful says quite a lot about her outlook. She
was pleased to receive them,” Hehir told the Old Bailey
courtroom.

Shortly after, on June 20, the jihadist sent his friend Atkins a
WhatsApp message asking for money. The group allegedly organized
for cash to be sent to neighboring countries, where it could be
collected.

It is believed the jihadist also told Atkins about his plans to
marry other women while fighting in Syria.

At one point, the jihadist asked Atkins to drive a pickup truck
to Syria in convoy.

Hehir said: “The prosecution case is that both defendants
knew the jihadist well.

“Anton Atkins and the [jihadist] were good friends, as their
online communications will demonstrate. Hana Khan's online
communications with the [jihadist] go a stage further: they were
contemplating marriage, or at least discussing it.”

“It may be that Hana Khan was rather keener on marrying the
[jihadist] than he was on marrying her,” he added.

“Whatever the position, there is no doubt that their online
discussion were at times intensely personal.”